Manufacturing Journalist Cutler Profiles Food Safety Leader Evs

Escape Velocity Systems (www.evs-sw.com) is profiled in the current issue of the International Food and Safety Quality Network article authored by manufacturing journalist TR Cutler. The term escape velocity refers to the speed that is necessary for an object to overcome gravity and soar into space. EVS provides direct applications for businesses looking for a catalyst, not just a software package. Process manufacturers require the best software solution coupled with industry experience that will accelerate the velocity with which they race towards their goals. The gravity of status-quo opposes aggressive, cutting edge organizations as they strive towards high quality and short lead time delivery while reducing inventories and operating costs.

In the feature entitled, Food Safety Drives Growth in Kosher & Halal Foods Cutler notes that, “Most consumers believe that kosher and halal food products follow stricter quality standards than non-kosher products in the same category and since safety is a real priority for consumers, regulator practices from HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) to the
Bioterrorism Act to lot traceability, food manufacturers are responding.

These quality practices are impacting the fortunes of manufacturers, suppliers and retailers. Reputations and brands are at risk when safety concerns and product recalls are front-page news. There are so many recent examples from spinach to pet food; the cost when quality standards are lacking is both financial and brand-killing. Evan Garber, President of Escape Velocity Systems suggested, “Any technology solution must indicate whether a formula is Kosher or Halal. O2 is one of the few batch or recipe process manufacturing ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems which allow a user to indicate formulas that are Kosher or Halal. Whether Muslim in the case of Halal certification
or a Rabbi in the case of Kosher certification, both will typically review formulations as well as historical production to verify that kosher products have been used. The ability to print and view all formulas and ingredients that have a designation (Kosher or Halal) is vital and must be true of historical production batches.”

Other ERP functionality for these two designations include the requirement of “source of ingredients” because of the direct relationship to lot tracking of raw materials from procurement through production to finished goods. The requirement of “status of production equipment” relates to machines that only run kosher or halal items (given the cleaning specification of both food designations). Garber suggested, “Production planning (finite capacity) rules can be set that state that a section of formulas (kosher or halal, in this case) are only run on certain machines. If a planner tries to run on another line, the schedule board
will prohibit it from moving. Production history can be updated for the machine indicating that a batch was actually run and received the required verification that batches were run on proper equipment. Indicators that the needed blessing has been made to a particular batch, item, or lot can be indicated.”

Most food manufacturers which produce primary, semi-processed, and finished products in all principal food segments can apply kosher and halal food safety standards to their operations.

Escape Velocity Systems (EVS) was formed in 2001 to combine specific industry knowledge related to process manufacturing, distribution, and ERP implementations with cutting edge software development. The company focus is to create tools that enable mid-market enterprises to achieve their goals, focusing on lean processes and ROI. According to President Evan Garber, “We realize that good ERP software is the hub of information in any process manufacturing enterprise. Timely, reliable, and centralized data are non-negotiable elements for businesses competing in the 21st century.”